StarCraft II: Selfish Gene
by edric2016underwood
Summary: Jim thought it was over when Sarah Kerrigan killed by Emperor Mengsk's forces on Char. However, Sarah was brought back to life in secret by a mysterious snake lady called herself 'Dr. Vahlen' and a little girl looked like Sarah's younger self. (This StarCraft II AU happened after XCOM 2: War of the Chosen.)
1. The Girl Who Sold The World

**Chapter 001: The Girl Who Sold The World**

**Sarah Kerrigan Returns**

"This is Racer One. I think I found the Queen."

Sarah Kerrigan opens her eyes, and she sees nothing. Her vision is blurred. However, her ear is fine. She can hear voices. There are so many noises entering her ears. The sounds of war… Gunshots, explosions, bomb drops, shouting, ground shaking, hissing… There is a fierce battle fighting around her. What happened?

"You found the Queen? Is she alive?"

Kerrigan moves her neck to look around, but she still can't see. Kerrigan's memory is lost. She can't remember how she gets here. She doesn't even know where she is or why she is being here. Everything surrounding her is so alien.

"The Queen is alive, but she doesn't look good."

This place doesn't look like a building. It is more like a cave… or an alien hive…

"What do you mean?"

Kerrigan brinks her eyes again. Her whole body is exhausted… Lying on the ground… She tries to reach out her hand but be stopped by immense tiredness. Her limbs are just too numb. All her muscles do not move properly...

"The Queen of Blades' look… changes, she looks like… human."

An uncleared figure moves closed to her quickly. It is too long and doesn't look like human…

"This shouldn't be possible. Terran technology cannot reverse infestation."

Kerrigan's eyes slowly get better. The thing in front of her is touching her. Kerrigan feels its hand touching her neck to check the pulse.

"I agree. It's clear the terran fail to turn our Queen back to human. Her hair is still the same. This proves that some Zerg cells survive in her body."

The unknown creature starts touching Kerrigan's whole body. It seems searching for any possible wounds or broken bones. "There is no any trace of surgical opening, biological weapons, or nanites. How could this happen?"

"There's a high possibility that the Xel'naga Artifact did this. Nothing had achieved such devastating effect before."

The alien moves closer to Kerrigan's face. Kerrigan can see the vertical pupils within its purple eyes. They look straight at Kerrigan's eyes with great care. "My Queen, are you alright? Can you hear me?"

"What're you?" Kerrigan speaks weakly with her dry throat. She gets a feeling that she cannot get enough air into her lungs. The thing in front of her looks like a snake. It is bigger than a terran and smaller than a Hydralisk. Despite its resemblance to a snake, it has humanlike breasts and two feminine long arms.

"My Queen, I am Foxii, Viper Specialist from BB Corps. What happened to you? You… can't breathe?" The Viper notices Kerrigan's breathing problems. So, she opens Kerrigan's mouth to checks the airway.

"It seems the Queen's condition is… troublesome This problem should not happen to her. It only happens to non-Zerg or non-native being on Char. Despite the air of this planet has oxygen, it has too much sulfur content and ashes. An unprotected human would quickly get sick in this hostile environment. Since the Queen's body is mostly human now, you need to give her respiratory protection."

Foxii quickly takes out a respirator mask from its backpack and puts it on Kerrigan's face. With the mask, Kerrigan's breathing returns to normal. Her mind and vision become clearer without the harmful gases affecting her. "You said Char? Why am I here?"

"Char is your throneworld. You control the Swarm from here. Don't you remember?" Foxii gives a clean white hazard suit to Kerrigan. Kerrigan gets frustrated and looks down. She realizes herself being naked in shock. '_Where is my hostile environment suit?'_

"What do you mean? I control Zerg here? I can't remember…" Kerrigan is wearing the hazard suit with Foxii's help. Her mind is still in confusion. Kerrigan recalls that Mengsk betrays her. He leaves her behind on New Gettysburg. Then, she is captured by the Zerg and they do… some terrible thing to her.

"My Queen. Can you remember your name? When were you born?" The unknown voice talks again. Kerrigan can't find its source. "Can you recall?"

Kerrigan thinks difficultly when Foxii moves her into sitting position. She still feels dizzy and unfamiliar images appear in her head. There are many things missing. "I'm… Sarah Kerrigan. I was born in 2473 on TarKossia."

"My Queen, you usually don't use your Terran name. This doesn't match your style. Do you know what year it is?"

"2500." Kerrigan sees more aliens arrived. They look like Foxii, but their size is smaller. These Vipers have different colors and features. Most of them are yellow. Kerrigan can feel all aliens suddenly looking her strangely after they hear her answer.

"It is already 2504. 4 years after 2500." Foxii says first in shock. Thought of uncertainty, doubt and fear spread through different aliens' minds.

"My Queen, what was the last place you remembered?"

"I was… in New Gettysburg… fighting the Protoss… and Zerg. There was… so many deaths and… pain. What happened after the Zerg got me?" Kerrigan touches her head and only finds tentacles._ 'Is this my hair? They are too thick…'_

"My queen, after the Battle of New Gettysburg, you joined the Zerg Swarm and adopted the title "Queen of Blades". You eventually controlled the whole Swarm and became our leader…"

"This doesn't make sense! I'm a terran! How could I join the Zerg? Am I infested?" Kerrigan feels panicked. She realizes that she can feel every Zerg around her, and they also know she is here. She and the Zerg are in the same hive mind. Kerrigan never gets so close to them before… Suddenly, Kerrigan realizes Foxii is Zerg. All aliens around her are Zerg. They are here for her…

"Calm down, my Queen." Foxii grabs Kerrigan's hand to stop her from pulling her own Zerg hair. To stop her from self-harm. Kerrigan struggles against the Viper but her arms are too weak. "Calm down. Try not to panic, my queen. Try not to panic. You'll be alright. We won't hurt you. We won't let anyone hurt you."

"My queen, we are here to save you. If you die, all life in the Koprulu Sector may be eradicated. The galaxy we know may be destroyed. You need to calm down and come with us…"

"Lie! This… is impossible. What did you do to me? Why?" Kerrigan's emotion totally goes out of control. There are just too many things happened to her. She can't accept. She doesn't care anymore…

At this moment, a shock wave of blue light appears from nowhere. It washes through everything and they catch on fire. Kerrigan feels herself being burnt alive again. Other people are not excepted. Foxii and other aliens… All Zerg including Vipers are enveloped by the same "fire".

'_What is going on?'_ In pain and exhaustion, Kerrigan loses her conscious again…

* * *

**Prologue**

On December 2504, the combined Raynor's Raiders and Terran Dominion battle group invaded Char. They sustained heavy casualties at the beginning but eventually gained a foothold on the planet surface.

After part of the Zerg Nydurs network was crippled by Raynor's close-nit team, terran engineers moved the Xel'naga artifact to the base of the Zerg Primary Hive, and Terran commanders rallied their remaining troops around it.

The Terran managed to hold their ground until the Xel'naga artifact was fully charged. Their task was assisted by the Xel'naga Artifact's tactical applications; a less powerful version of the fully charged effect, an Energy Nova, could be released intermittently to destroy all Zerg near the Keystone. The Energy Nova was repeatedly used to repel Zerg attacks before the Keystone was fully primed.

The Queen of Blades was impressed by the Energy Nova, but she refused to be deterred from sallying forth personally to destroy the Terran invaders. This was because she had launched the Second Great War to secure this particular Xel'naga Artifact and now the Terran had delivered it to Char.

Unfortunately, even with the Queen of Blades' personal participation, the Zerg were unable to break through the Terran. When the Xel'naga Artifact reached its full charge, it unleashed a massive energy shockwave that scoured the Zerg from the immediate area and made the Queen of Blades "human" again.

* * *

**Broken Heart**

**10 minutes later**

"My Queen, wake up. Wake up! There is no time!"

Kerrigan is waked up by the same Viper again. She opens her eye and faces Foxii. Foxii's appearance had changed. Her color had changed from brown and yale blue to white and maya blue. "The Zerg Defense around the Primary Hive Cluster is collapsing. The Xel'naga Artifact just released another Energy Nova as strong as the one which had taken away your memory again. It's not safe here. We need to move!"

"Leave me alone! I'm done. I don't care anymore. I… killed so many people." Kerrigan cries in frustration. "I don't deserve to live…"

"My Queen, if you die here, Mengsks win. They would doom the Koprulu Sector one way or another. The whole galaxy would burn to ashes…" Foxii tries to calm Kerrigan down.

"I am not your Queen! I have nothing with you. Get out of me!" Kerrigan shouts at the top of her lungs.

"So, you're okay with this? Abandoning the people who follow you. Leaving your own daughter behind to face Mengsks?" The unknown voice spoke again.

"What…" Kerrigan stopped screaming when Foxii shows her a photo through a tablet:

Two aliens and a terran child stood before a terran dropship in broad daylight. They all looked toward the camera, and the little girl who was in the middle of the image had the brightest smile. She looked exactly like Kerrigan's former self. An innocent child had no fears before being abandoned, before being an assassin, before losing her mother, before all the tragedies… This child had the same red hair and green eyes Kerrigan used to have... Her right hand held a humanoid alien with a pair of bone wings on her back, and her left hand held another alien who looked like a snake…

"The person on the right side is you before this battle. The girl who hold your left hand is your daughter. The last one in this photo is Dr. Vahlen, one of the few Commanders who is still fighting for you…" Foxii explains.

"When was this photo taken?" Kerrigan watches the photo.

"It's taken a month ago. You have a daughter waiting for you on Tarsonis, but the terran coming here want you dead. They are taking over this hive cluster now. You must leave immediately. Otherwise, I fear you won't see her again." Foxii says.

"I… I don't want to fight anymore…" Kerrigan avoids looking at the image. She still can't believe what the aliens say.

"Do you know your daughter loves you? Carlye will do anything for you to make you proud. She will be very sad if you leave her behind."

"I should be death… I'm not worthy to be someone's mother… I only bring death and destruction to everyone around me." Kerrigan mutters.

"Mengsks won't stop even you die. They will kill everyone including your daughter after your death." Foxii injects something into Kerrigan's left upper arm. "Try this, overdrive serum. It's designed for human by XCOM hundred years ago. It should get you back on feet."

Kerrigan feels part of her strength coming back. Foxii pulls her up from the ground. The ground shakes again. Gunshots come closer and closer. Foxii briefly looks away and says to Kerrigan seriously, "Enemies are coming. Our remaining troops can't hold them back forever. Can you walk by yourself now?"

"I can… but why don't you run without me?" Kerrigan stands up unsteadily.

"You are important. We can't afford to lose you. Giving you to Mengsk is not an option." Foxii orders her personal remote-controlled airborne drone to initiate its scanning protocol. The GREMLIN Mark II drone instantly scans the surrounding area. "There are Dominion Ghosts coming to our location. We must leave now."

"Ghosts?" Kerrigan asks and follows Foxii.

"Mengsk began a new Ghost Program once he formed his Terran Dominion. He abducted psychically-gifted terran with force and turned them into Ghosts. I guess they sense your presence here."

"When I was in Son of Korhal, Mengsk told me that he would make a difference. Doing better than the Confederacy. Now, he makes new Ghosts… What was I fighting for?" Kerrigan says in disgust behind Foxii.

"All Mengsks are liars. As long as they are still in power. Nothing will change. This is how most of the terran work. Would you fight them?" Foxii asks when she leads Kerrigan out.

"I won't let Mengsk get away from this." Kerrigan feels angry entering her heart.

"Good. Use my handgun. Shoot anyone who is on Mengsks' side." Foxii gives her mag pistol to Kerrigan.

"You don't worry that I shoot you?" Kerrigan finds it surprisingly light compared to the traditional terran revolver.

"I believe you know what is right and wrong, because you are the Queen of Blades," Foxii says…

**Another 10 minutes later**

Kerrigan and Foxii finally exit the maze-like primary Zerg hive cluster, but the Terran also find them…

"Sarah!"

Kerrigan looks back and immediately notices the person she trusts the most. To Foxii' dismay, Kerrigan stops running.

"Jim?" Kerrigan notices that the man she loves had changed. He looks older and has grey hair.

"Sarah, come back," Jim says.

"My queen, you can't trust. He is your enemy. He is on Mengsk's side!" Foxii says when she catches Kerrigan's hand.

"You can't trust a snake. Come back." Jim Raynor yells. The Terran marines behind him point their guns toward Kerrigan. Kerrigan and Foxii do the same.

"My queen, please keeps going to the extraction point. I will hold them back." Foxii says with smoke coming out from her mouth.

"Put down your weapon, Sarah. I'm not your enemy." Jim says.

Hearing Jim's words, Kerrigan lowers her gun without a second thought. She ignores everyone but Raynor. Walking slowly to him.

"Don't go! It's Raynor brought the Xel'naga Artifact here! It's him wiped your memory, my Queen!" Foxii shouts.

"I know Jim. He's the only one I can trust." Kerrigan keeps going.

"Soldiers, lower your weapons!" Jim Raynor orders but other Terran marines maintain their firing posts.

"I said LOWER YOUR WEAPONS!" Jim shout to the Terran soldiers beside him.

"Sorry, commander. This is Emperor Mengsk's order." All Terran marines open fire at the same time…

* * *

**Codex**

**Sarah Kerrigan** \- A Queen robbed of her Identity

**Jim Raynor** \- A Rebel drunk by Lies

**Dr. Vahlen** \- A Snake living a Phantom

**Carlye Kerrigan** – A Child carring a Legend

**Foxii** \- A Medic being a Mother

* * *

**Secondary Heart of the Swarm**

**2 days after Battle of Char (Dangerous Game)**

"Is mommy okay now?" A child asks.

"She will be fine soon. Her internal organ transplantation is complete. Her wounds are closed. What's left to do is her external organ transplantation, but first, I need to ensure her internal organs function properly." A polite voice answers.

Sarah Kerrigan hears words. More precisely, psionic voices. She doesn't know what they mean but those voices are so close. Her eyes are closed. She feels like having a hot bath but is in blood instead of water. She can smell iron… _'Am I in hell?'_

"Can I wake mom up now?"

"Yes, you can. I want to know whether her new organs work properly."

"Mom. Wake up."

Sarah Kerrigan feels a pair of small arms sit her up. Then, someone hugs her tightly.

"Can you hear me now, mommy?"

Kerrigan slowly opens her eyes and sees a little girl hugging her. This girl has the same sizzle red hair she used to have. Kerrigan looks away and finds a Viper in white coat watching them from her right side. This Viper has a pair of crystal-like horns over her glowing purple eyes. Kerrigan looks down and finds she is on a surgery table. There is another alien surgery table side by side. All equipment around her looks alien. Further away. There are numerous terran bodies placed around. Each dead body was submerged in greenish liquid inside a large transparent cylindrical tank. This mysterious place was quite dark and illuminated by green light. It seems to be underground because Kerrigan cannot find any window.

"Where am I?" Kerrigan asks weakly.

"You are safe inside my Blacksite now. We are under the Temple of Blades which was built by aliens to worship you, the Queen of Blades. Right at the location where the Swarm found you." The Viper answers softly.

"New Gettysburg, the central district of Tarsonis City… Why?" Kerrigan is shocked.

"Yes, the safest place beside Char. This is all for your protection." The Viper explains calmly.

"What happened? I should be dead after those marines shot me." Kerrigan touches herself. There is no scar on her chest but discomfort. Her body just feels different. The shooting pains still linger especially on her chest and stomach. There is blood on her hands…

"Yes, you were killed two days ago. I personally brought your remains back, so we can revive you." The Viper says with a smile.

"How?" Kerrigan asks.

"The short answer is: Put your corpse in stasis. Transport it here. Using your daughter's body to bring you back from dead. This surgery is… undoubtedly inhuman and brutal, so do you really want to know all the bloody details?" The viper asks.

"Just tell me, and who are you two?" Kerrigan asks.

"The one hugging you is your daughter, Carlye Jovanna Kerrigan. She went through the worst part to save you. Endured pain child should never experience." The Viper points to the crying child.

"And I am Dr. Vahlen. People usually call me Dr. Snake." The Viper introduces herself. "When I found you on Char, it was already too late. You were killed right in front of us. We froze your pieces in ice and brought them back in stasis tank."

"Your daughter agreed to use her bodies to save you, therefore we linked you and her bodies together. Using her circulatory system to restart your blood flow. Stimulate your cell regeneration."

"Unfortunately, the damage on your body is too serious. Since you lost too much Zerg mutagen, and there is a Xel'naga Artifact which can extract zerg essence in enemies' hand. We decided to reconstruct your body with your daughter's organs…"

"What do you mean "reconstruction"?" Kerrigan asks.

"Organ transplantation. Most organs in your chest were completely destroyed. Since your daughter still has her Zerg regeneration, she could live even I took out her major organs to replace your damaged ones…" Dr. Vahlen explains.

"My heart is beating in your chest…" Kerrigan sees the little girl puts her ears on her chest.

"Heart?" Kerrigan asks in disbelief.

"This is not an exaggeration. Your chest including your heart was destroyed, so I put her heart inside you to rebuild your circulatory system." Dr. Vahlen answers.

"If I took her heart, then how could she survive?" Kerrigan questions.

"Zerg physiology and Secondary Heart gene mod. They enable your daughter to distribute vital functions throughout her body. Carlye's blood flow won't stop even her vital organs are gone." Dr. Vahlen gives the shortest answer she can.

"Why did you save me? Aren't you giving your heart to the wrong person?" Kerrigan asks the little girl in doubt.

"I love you." The girl simply answers.

"I… can't remember you." Kerrigan says bitterly. "Why would I have a daughter?"

"I didn't know I have a mother too... but… I'm happy that I save my mother this time… This is all I want." The child releases Kerrigan and stands up. Only this moment, Kerrigan realizes they are still connected. Physically, sharing the same blood… A navel string links them together…

"The internal organ transplantation is done, and your new body parts work perfectly. You don't need this umbilical cord anymore." Dr. Vahlen removes the cord when Kerrigan is still in shock. "Only two things left, and you will be whole again."

"What?" Kerrigan has never been in such awkward situation.

"The only things left to do are external organs and memory transplantation, then you will become the Queen of Blades again," Vahlen explains.

The child's appearance dramatically changes. First, it likes boiling water. Bubble rapidly covers her whole body. Then, it disappears as fast as it came. After that, the psionic signal of the little girl is not terran anymore but zerg. Her calmness is replaced by rage. Her skin color changes from pale ivory to purplish. Her eyes are no longer green but glowing yellow. An armored carapace covers most of her body except her face. Her finger nails turn sharp and become claws. Kerrigan looks at her daughter's face. Her childish pink is replaced by zerg greenish. A pair of bone wings form and hang on her back.

"Mom… I want to give back everything you've lost!"

* * *

**Author's Note**

Credits go to magostera, Fanfiction Dragon, Fangtom, PoweredByDarkness and Ragnarok666 for their helps.

Avatar of Liberty written by NamThunder also inspired me to create Dr. Vahlen's phantom. He is the one triggered me to write this crossover.

This is a FanFiction. Details of actual persons, organizations, events, etc. featured within include fictitious elements.

Different communications, thought patterns and sounds:

"Speaking"

_'Thinking or speaking mentally'_

* * *

**Her Samples**

"Did you receive my package?"

"Yes, but how did you get it? The **Queen** won't give her samples to you willingly."

"She was killed, and that became my golden opportunity."

"So how is she now?"

"We brought her back to life."

"You know Terran can use her samples against her, against the swarm, against you. Why did you give it to me?"

"I trust you. We both become doctors because we want to help people. We both know the enemies afraid of the swarm, not us. This sample can give you the perfect deterrence."

"Aren't this playing god?"

"I feel myself being a **cuckoo** whether than playing god."

"You are a **snake**, not a bird."

"I laid **cuckoo eggs** in **other birds' nests**, so those **eggs** would be safe."

"I can't do the same. I'm a doctor, not a mother."

"That's why I'm sure that you won't burn the Koprulu Sector into ashes. You won't let that happen. If the Queen of Blades dies, all of her children die, and I die, these samples will be your insurance policy. The genes and memes of the Queen of Blades will pass on."

"Why would I create another Queen of Blades? She just killed at least 8 billion people."

"You know Zeratul's prophecy is rational, and the threat of Protoss-Zerg Hybrids is real. If there is no Queen of Blades, there may be no life left in the Koprulu Sector in the near future. Think carefully. Even no alien remains in the Koprulu Sector, the United Earth Directorate will come back, and war within the human race will be unavoidable. The Queen of Blades would be your ace when that happens."

"The last time you hid a **cuckoo egg** in Haven failed, the human Templars knew. What makes you believe I can make a difference this time?"

"If you lay new** cuckoo egg **without adding the memory from war orphan and the growth acceleration, place it in a normal human family, no one knows."

"I still don't like this idea. Putting so many faiths to her children."

"I believe children are our future."


	2. Delusion

**Chapter 002: Delusion**

**The Backup**

"What the Hell?"

Sarah Kerrigan watches the little girl in front of her transforms into a monster in a blink of an eye unbelievably. It is undoubtedly alien but share the same face Sarah has. However, there are clear differences between Sarah and it: Its eyes are glowing yellow. Carapace covers most of its body except its face. A pair of bone wings grow on its back…

"She is you." The snake lady beside them clearly enjoys Sarah being surprised.

"I am her?" Sarah points to the little monster in complete disbelief.

"You just can't remember now. She is still your daughter, Carlye Kerrigan. Sharing the same blood, the same DNA, the same Essence, and most importantly, the same memory. You are Queen of Blades, and she is too." Dr. Vahlen says with proud to Sarah's dismay.

"Then, why do we look different?" Sarah looks between Carlye and herself. Carlye looks green comparing to Sarah herself.

"Mengsk changed you with the Xel'naga Artifact. We still don't know how it could happen to you, but… this is all their fault." Carlye speaks with strong hatred which a child shouldn't have.

"Mengsk?" Kerrigan doesn't know what happened, but... _'This… does make sense. Arcturus wants me death from a long time ago...'_

"Valerian Mengsk hired your ex-boyfriend, Jim Raynor to collect an ancient xel'naga relic. They used it against you on Char and caused your death there." Dr. Vahlen shows videotapes about the war between Terran and Alien on Char to Sarah with her tablet. "Luckily, I had already prepared for this scenario months ago. Multiple comprehensive policies are in effect now. That's why our army can keep fighting even with your absence."

"Without you. The Swarm is shattered. The New ADVENT is in low morale. Mengsk has already declared his victory with your death." Carlye explains. "Mom, you need to recover… Become the Queen of Blades again."

"If I transplant your daughter's carapace, her bone wings and her memory to you, you should be able to return to your top performance as the Queen of Blades…" Dr. Vahlen starts preparing for the surgery. "Please lie down. I will handle the rest…"

"No." Sarah leaves the alien surgery to others' surprise. _'This is ridiculous! What the hell are they thinking!'_

"Mom?" Carlye is shocked and follow Sarah.

"Where are you going?" Dr. Vahlen put down her surgery instruments and follow her patients, too.

'_I have to get out of here.'_ Sarah looks around and realizes she doesn't know the way out. This place is just too alien. Countless human corpses are placed in weird containers. _'This place is even worse than any Confederacy science facility I had been. What did I get myself into?'_

"Mom. Why?" Carlye follows Sarah.

"Kerrigan! You need to finish your surgery first before you leave." The Snake Lady moves beside Sarah.

"I don't want to be a monster," Sarah answers without a second thought. _'This place is too huge. I don't even know which direction I should take.'_

"But mom… This is what you should be…" Carlye protested with a childish voice.

"Without finishing the surgery, you would be far fragile than what you were. You may even get yourself killed…" Dr. Vahlen asks.

"I don't care." Sarah walks quicker.

"But mom, everyone is waiting for your return…" Carlye hugs Sarah's legs tightly and stops her from leaving. Sarah is dumbstruck by Carlye's action and doesn't know what to do. Although Sarah did shoot a child during an assassination mission on Umojan when she was under Ghost conditioning many years ago, she never dealt with children personally after joining the Sons of Korhal…

"Are you leaving us?" Dr. Vahlen asks in worry.

"Why can't you leave me alone!" Sarah gets more and more frustrated. These strangers are not enemy, but why they…

Carlye stopes hugging Sarah with a getting hurt like expression. Dr. Vahlen keeps calm and says, "It is unsafe for you going out right now. The whole Koprulu Sector want you dead. We are the few people who are still on your side. We want to give the best to you."

"Then just let me go!" Sarah shouts in frustration.

"You don't understand, mom. You walked straight into a trap on Char." Carlye says.

"If we let you leave now, you possibly get killed again." Dr. Vahlen says.

"Tell me why I should trust you!" Sarah can't remember who she is talking to.

"You are my mother! Why would I hurt you?" Carlye Kerrigan answers like being hurt.

"I am a doctor. My task is to provide to the utmost limits of my capability the best possible care to those in need of my aid and assistance." Dr. Vahlen answers proficiently.

Sarah Kerrigan looks at the infested child with a weird feeling. Neither she can accept that she has a child, nor she can deny that this child is hers. Carlye is just too like Sarah herself. Sarah can't feel any malice from the child.

Looks toward the snake lady. Sarah reaches out Dr. Vahlen's mind. The female Viper doesn't hold any intention to do any harm to Sarah either, but she is certainly hiding many things from her probing…

"Fine. Just tell me why I shouldn't leave now." Sarah puts her hands on her waist.

"Ah… Mom. Your body is too human. Even a single bullet can kill you now." Carlye said.

"More importantly, you totally forget what happened in the last 4 years. It's too dangerous for you going out without knowing the current situation." Dr. Vahlen explains.

"What I don't know?" Sarah asks with impatient.

"Mom. Everything has already changed. You can't trust people like you used to…" Carlye answers.

"Yes, your ex-boyfriend chose Mengsk above you. You need to relearn almost everything now." Dr. Vahlen says.

"This can't be…" Sarah doesn't want to believe that Jim has become another enemy. She can understand why Arcturus abandoned her to the Swarm, but she can't understand why Jim turned against her.

"You just need to read my mind. I have your memories." Carlye answers like saying fact while she points to her brain.

"You have my memory?" Sarah asks.

"You gave it to me, so I can become you." Carlye answers.

"Become me?" Sarah asks.

"Carlye has been preparing to become the Queen of Blades till now. She is one of the insurance policies we prepared before you lost your memory." Dr. Vahlen explains. "To make her capable to do your job, you gave your memory to her."

"Me? Neural resocialization?" Sarah asks.

"No. It didn't involve any Terran technology like the Resocialization Tank. You are the one did it with one of your Zerg techniques." Dr. Vahlen answers.

"I chose to accept your memory by myself, so I can become you… This is all about keeping you safe." Carlye felt offended…

'_Protecting me?'_ Sarah asks, "What do you mean?"

"Despite Carlye is smaller than you, but she looks the same as you. After receiving your memory, she can assume your identity by acting as your body double."

"How much you know about me?" Sarah asks Carlye.

"Everything." Carlye answers.

"Really?" Sarah reaches out to Carlye's mind.

* * *

**Prologue**

The Second Great War broke out in September 2504, four years after the first Great War. This war had begun when the Zerg were invading the entire Koprulu Sector; billions were killed early on, and the Swarm established itself on multiple Terran worlds. During the Second Great War, Terran rebel Jim Raynor allied with the Terran Dominion after accepting an offer of "deinfesting" Sarah Kerrigan from Dominion Prince Valerian Mengsk, son of Emperor Arcturus Mengsk.

On December 2504, Raynor's Raiders and Terran Dominion joint force and invaded Char. In this battle, Jim Raynor's interference saved the Dominion battle groups from the disastrous initial landing on Char and ensured the Terrans moved quickly to attack the main Zerg hive. The Xel'naga device's full-power discharge the Terran used obliterated the Zerg from the area. It also took away part of the power and memory from the Queen of Blades. After that, the promise of saving Sarah Kerrigan from the Prince Valerian Mengsk was broken because the Queen of Blades was killed by the Dominion marines under Emperor Arcturus Mengsk's direct order.

Contrary to popular belief, the Second Great War wasn't over after the Queen of Blades' death. Most Zerg Commanders were still alive and continue their fight after the full-power discharge from the Xel'naga device. One of the Zerg Commanders who didn't abandon the Queen of Blades after her death was Dr. Vahlen, an "infested" alien Viper.

Dr. Vahlen and her allies had joined the Swarm after they faced the Queen of Blades personally on Redstone III three months ago. Right after the Queen of Blades' death, they wiped out her killers, brought back her corpse to Tarsonis and successfully brought Sarah Kerrigan back from the dead with Zerg biology, alien technology, and organ transplantation…

* * *

**A Glimpse of the Past**

Sarah Kerrigan only took a glimpse of Carlye Kerrigan's memory, the memory from the Queen of Blades, the past four years she forgot, and it is the worst thing she has ever witnessed. The Koprulu Sector never gets better, only worse. Everything she knew or she once believed has already changed:

Arcturus Mengsk didn't only abandon her to the Zerg Swarm, but he also formed the Terran Dominion which is as oppressive as the Terran Confederacy and crowned himself the Emperor as power-hungry as the Old Families. The Terran society didn't get better after all the bloodshed she did for him;

Jim Raynor, the man she loved most, became her enemy because of her betrayal when she was being the Queen of Blades. He swore to revenge against her for the death of Fenix and have already allied with Mengsk. Their love already ended;

Her own self, Sarah Louise Kerrigan, isn't human anymore. The Zerg infested her after they abducted her on New Gettysburg. She later became the self-proclaimed Queen of Blades. Things only got crazier after Mengsk's betrayal. After the death of the first Overmind, she eliminated all cerebrates who refused her orders in order to rule over the Swarms by herself. Her plan had succeeded by using and betraying all her allies – Jim, Fenix, Zeratul, Mengsk… All of them who still live are her enemies now. At the end of the Brood War, her fall didn't even hit the rock bottom yet.

As the Queen of Blades, she has started a new Zerg invasion three months ago. Billion Terran lives were already killed lost under because of her command ambition. The killing wasn't the only crazy thing she did as the Queen of Blades. She ordered her Swarm to develop a new hyper-evolutionary virus to infect other lifeforms more effectively. Countless Terrans especially the refugees were assimilated by this particularly virulent strain of the virus. Her action only went more bizarre after those aliens escaped from the Earth including Dr. Vahlen joint took her side. She has accepted their proposal and supported the creation of the New ADVENT with her ruling it at the top of this new alien matriarchy.

The New ADVENT is an organization collaborating with her Zerg Swarm to run the vast majority of the constructs of multiple human worlds which have been conquered by her Swarm like the Old ADVENT. Instead of worshiping the long gone Ethereals, the aliens who followed her turned her, the Queen of Blades into their new cult image, their "new god", so they can justify anything they did with her name. _'It's a total madness…'_

When Sarah Kerrigan pulls herself out from this supposed short glimpse of Carlye Kerrigan's memory, one day has already passed. Sarah only got more frustrated after seeing what she forgot. Physically, she didn't fell tired without any drink or eat for a day because of her Zerg nature. Mentally, she was already totally exhausted.

Sarah Kerrigan knows how to follow commands or win a battle after all her hellish Confederacy Ghost training, but she knows nothing about leading a swarm of murderous aliens, being a mother of an alien child, or what to do after the people she trusted most became her enemies. Her dream of being with Jim Raynor after the war was already shattered completely after her infestation. All she has now is a small fraction of the shattered Zerg Swarm led by her most loyal servants, the New ADVENT relied on the Queen of Blades to maintain the cooperation between its Zerg and non-Zerg members, and people she doesn't feel comfortable with.

Although Dr. Vahlen and Carlye did bring Sarah back to life, they are not human. Accepting them and their inhuman actions is… difficult. Sarah Kerrigan desperately needs to take a break and go outside…

* * *

**Sarah meet Nox for the "First Time"**

**Timeskip**

"Nox. Please look after mom. I have to take care of some personal matters."

"No problem. I will watch after her."

Sarah Kerrigan watches Carlye left after a youth "girl" arrives. This pretty "girl" looks perfectly human with her beautiful long blonde hair wrapped into a high ponytail. She has beautiful blue eyes and a playful smile. Her graceful body language shows that she possibly is a Terran Ghost as same as Sarah's old self. However, her psionic signature is only similar to human. She radiates strange Psionic Power different to Ghost. These small differences indicating that she is not a Terran.

"Vahlen told me that you had lost your memory. Do I need to introduce myself to you?" The "girl" asks Sarah politely.

"Sure." Sarah's eyes swept over the "girl" from head to toe. The "girl" is wearing an armor clearly different from the popular CMC Powered Combat Suit lightly used by Terran forces. Its size is marginally bigger than the stealth suit, the standard issue combat gear for Terran Ghosts. However, it seems more advanced and protective than any Ghost Suit which is shown from its thicker armor plate and larger Psi-energy storage.

"Officially, I am Nox Annabella Terra, but people know me just call me "Nox". Although I am not a Zerg, I still serve you as the second-in-command of the B&B Corps Beauty and the Beast Unit under Dr. Vahlen's leadership." Nox stands with her head high and her back straight.

"Are you an "Old Family" member like Mengsk?" Sarah is suspicious of Nox immediately after she heard Nox's family name – Terra. This is because Terras were one of the "Old Families" who were the dynastic ruling families of Tarsonis, and Sarah had participated in the Sons of Korhal attack which destroyed that planet. Furthermore, Sarah can't forget how Mengsk used her like the "Old Families" did...

"No, my new family name is just for convenience. Like you, I am not even human. I was manufactured on Earth many years ago." Nox immediately explains.

"Manufactured?" Sarah doesn't expect this word at all. Although she had watched her past four years through Carlye's memory, she hadn't watched every detail.

"It's a bloody long story." Nox explained, "About 300 years ago, the Earth had been conquered by aliens, and they had established the Old ADVENT to execute the Ethereals' orders. However, the resistance movement on Earth had never stopped even most human leaders had already offered an unconditional surrender to the alien forces, so the Old ADVENT had manufactured an enormous alien slave army to occupy the Earth, and I had been one of them."

"So, you are an alien invader disguising yourself as human to conquer the Koprulu Sector now?" Sarah asks.

"Kind of. Since I have been working for you, and you have conquered more planets in this sector, so I'm your alien invader now." Nox answered proudly.

'_How did I recruit so many weird people.' _Sarah facepalms."Why are you here?"

"Since you daughter, Carlye chooses to mind her own business secretly instead of being with you, and Dr. Vahlen has tons of work to do besides saving you, so I have to be your bodyguard when they are busy." Nox lowers her satchel to the ground in front of Sarah. She opens it and shows a set of armor which is like what she is wearing now. "Would you wear this please?"

"Can't you just give me some normal clothes?" Sarah crosses her arm.

"This armor is for your own protection, and it's better no one see your face because that will lead to many problems." Nox hands over the armor to Sarah.

"This is because I'm the queen bitch of the universe, isn't it?" Sarah asks. _'How should I wear this thing?'_

"Let me help you." Nox answers. "It's because you are not the queen bitch of the universe now, and that's a serious problem to everyone on your side."

* * *

**Faith**

**Timeskip**

"Why do you take me here?" Sarah had followed Nox, and they had left Dr. Vahlen's Blacksite after walking a great distance passing countless alien laboratories and workshops. When they were going to the roof garden of the Temple, multiple enormous cargo lifts and escalators were used in their journey. It took them half an hour to travel from the deepest and most restricted level (Dr. Vahlen's Blacksite) to the public roof garden of the Temple.

"This is the best place to show you the bigger picture. Do you know where we are?" Nox asks Sarah proudly.

"New Gettysburg." Sarah looks around. 4 years have passed, and the Tarsonis city is being rebuilt. Many things have been changed, but she can still recognize its view. The biggest difference of this city between the pass and the present is the dense population of aliens and Terrans living together. She can find at least 6 kinds of aliens being here. There was no alien living in a human city peacefully during the Terran Confederacy era. _'How can this be possible?'_

"Yes, New Gettysburg, but there is so much more." Nox explains. "We are right above the Ground Zero where made you the Queen of Blades. This temple below our feet is built for worshiping you."

"Me? Why?" Sarah asks. _'What the hell?'_

"We believed you are a better leader than the Ethereals, who ruled over the Old ADVENT." Nox walks around Sarah. "We believed you could lead us to a better tomorrow which would be free from humanity. We believed you, and you believed us."

Sarah gets a headache. _'No one except Jim liked me before. What happened?'_

"Please don't be surprised. You are the greatest adversary of Humanity we have ever seen after the Ethereals are gone." Nox continues.

"Ethereals?" Sarah asks.

"Ethereals are alien commanders who created me and other aliens including ADVENT soldiers, Vipers, Sectoid, Muton, etc. They are psionically gifted leaders like you, but you are far more powerful and successful. You managed to defeat the UED fleet, the Dominion fleet and the Protoss fleet at the same time, while the Ethereals failed poorly in War of the Chosen against merely resistance movement. That's why we join your side now." Nox explains…

"I am… already changed. Vahlen said I'm too fragile now. Am I under-qualified for being your queen? Maybe you should find another boss." Sarah says. _'I look like their previous alien overlords?'_

"You're the best candidate to lead us even in your current weakened state. Everyone here knows your past victories, and no one has ever done better than you. We hope you become the Queen of Blades again." Nox says.

"So, you want to change me into a monster, too?" Sarah asks angrily, _'Maybe I should just get out of here? I already lost 4 years.'_

"I don't want to. Forcing you to be something you don't agree is… counterproductive. A Volunteer are always better than a slave. Plus, we already have Carlye on standby if you don't be the Queen of Blades. We believe she can play your role perfectly." Nox answers.

"You believe a child can lead your people to win this war. Why don't you do it yourself?" Sarah asks.

"I am not you, nor your Phantom. I'm not as powerful or popular as you are. It's better for you or your child to be our leader." Nox answers.

"Phantom?" Sarah asks.

"In War of the Chosen, Dr. Vahlen has developed a way to let one person becoming another person, so double agents can spy on the Old ADVENT very effectively. We call people who went through extensive "plastic surgery" or implanting powerful suggestions based on alien technologies to turn into someone they weren't, "Phantom"." Nox explains.

"Like Neural resocialization?" Sarah asks with distaste.

"No, people became Phantoms like me, Vahlen, Carlye…" Nox defends. "can still think independently and have our own free wills. We just choose to become what we weren't more thoroughly by ourselves." Nox answers.

"I don't believe putting my memory into a child would make her become me," Sarah says.

"At the least, Carlye is the best candidate to play your role. As your child, she looks like you. Besides that, her genes are almost the same as you. Plus, she has already experienced all your battles, and share all your knowledge and experience." Nox explains, "What is left is Carlye needs to grow older to reach your psionic power level. Assuredly, she'll act as the new Queen of Blades."

"Does Carlye know the dangers? Most people would want her dead if she becomes me." Sarah asks.

"Carlye knows. She wants to protect you, and that's why she agrees." Nox answers, "Once she be your face in this sector, she will attract all your enemies instead of you. Even Mengsks will believe that she is the only Queen of Blades. No one will doubt that."

'_Mengsks… That bastard…'_ Sarah asks, "Are you going to let her deal with all enemies? I know Mengsk is very dangerous, and I doubt she can handle the Dominion alone."

"Me, Dr. Vahlen and the New ADVENT will be right by her side. We will help her reunite the Swarm and defeat the Dominion." Nox answers.

"Why do you guys do so many things for me?" Sarah asks, "Isn't it easier for you to take over this Sector for yourself without me?"

"You are like god to us… What you did in the Brood War are like miracles to us," Nox says. "That's why we need you, the Queen of Blades."

Sarah facepalms. She can't believe what she just heard. "This's ridiculous."

"No, we are very serious. Please looks here." Nox points toward a colossal golden female statue which is above the height of hundred meters. She is a figure of the Queen of Blades holding a lotus-like alien device with her both palms. This alien device is broadcasting powerful psionic signals far beyond the Psi-emitter's capability. Sarah can feel it's broadcasting a neural imprint similar to her own.

"What is this?" Sarah asks in disbelief. _'Why would __aliens__ they build a Psi-emitter right at the center of their city? Are they mad?'_

"In appearance, this statue is an icon of strength and new order you have brought to the Koprulu Sector. Like the Statue of Liberty on Earth, she is a joint project of the New ADVENT and the Zerg Swarm." Nos smiles. "In fact, it is the New ADVENT Primary Network Tower designed by Dr. Vahlen and Abathur. While the Swarm provided its material, my people were the one assembling it and maintaining its daily operation. It is the center of the New ADVENT Psionic Network allowing an incredible capacity for logistics and communication among the New ADVENT and the Swarm."

Sarah asks, "Are you insane? I killed so many people, destroyed so many planets and betrayed my allies. There's no way that I'm closed to god!"

"You quite fit the criteria of god." Nox jokes, "More than 500 years ago, an earther said that the god is a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a racist, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, sadomasochistic, capriciously, malevolent character."

* * *

**Author's Note**

Recently, I have realized that my writing cannot turn my ideas into words properly. I need someone who familiar with StarCraft and XCOM 2: War of the Chosen to be my beta reader, so I can fix my inability in writing.

Honestly, I have realized what I'm writing now is a little bit like what Neon Genesis Evangelion have done with Kabbalah, Christianity, and Judaism. The original meme is undoubtedly twisted into something different by the duplicator.

Credits go to Howling Din for his ideas used in Princess of the Swarm Chapter 9: "The Queen of Blades is God."

This is a FanFiction. Details of actual persons, organizations, events, etc. featured within include fictitious elements.

Different communications, thought patterns and sounds:

"Speaking"

_'Thinking or speaking mentally'_

* * *

**Mission Pretext**

"Pretty doll. What are you doing here?"

"I need your units."

"Is this your mother's order?"

"No, but I'm here for her."

"You're not the Queen of Blades. I don't follow your orders.

"Don't you want mom to become our beloved Queen of Blades again?"

"I do, but isn't that Dr. Vahlen's job?"

"Mom won't let Vahlen fix her… but I have a way to make mom agree."

"What is your idea?"

"Makes Raynor killed by Mengsk."

"Why do they matter?"

"Mom still loves Raynor… and that makes her refuses us."

"Retaliation?"

"Simply having Raynor die isn't enough. We need to give mom a reason to become the Queen of Blades again."

"You want her take revenge on Mengsk, so she would have reason to become our queen again?"

"Yes."

"It seems you're better than I thought."

"I need your units to raise a "false flag" against the Raynor's Raiders at Dead Man's Rock. Would you help me?"


End file.
